Friday 1 May 2009 13.57 EDT
First published on Friday 1 May 2009 13.57 EDT

Daniel Lynch, who was jailed for life after raping a TV presenter and then arranging for acid to be thrown in her face. Photograph: Metropolitan police/PA

A heavy steroid user who raped a television presenter and then arranged for acid to be thrown in her face in an act of "pure calculated and deliberate evil" was jailed for life today.

Daniel Lynch's 25-year-old victim suffered horrific injuries. She is now partially blind in one eye, has to be fed through a tube in her stomach due to damage to her throat and has endured more than 30 operations.

Lynch, 33, was sentenced to life in prison at Wood Green crown court, north London, and must serve a minimum of 16 years before he is eligible for parole. Stefan Sylvestre, 20, who threw the acid, was also given a life sentence, with a minimum of six years.

Judge Nicholas Browne QC told the pair that the victim "had a face of pure beauty" and they represented "the face of pure evil".

"The facts of this case are chilling and shocking. You planned and then executed an act of pure, calculated and deliberate evil. You decided to wreck the victim's life by thrusting a full container of sulphuric acid straight into her face from point-blank range," said Browne.

The court heard harrowing testimony in the victim's impact statement. She said: "When the acid was thrown at me, it felt like I was burning in hell. It was an indescribable, unique, torturous pain.

"I have lost my future, my career, my spirit, my body, my looks, my dignity – the list goes on. All I am left with is an empty shell. A part of me has died that will never come back. This is worse than death."

Lynch, of Shepherd's Bush, west London, beat up and raped the woman in a west London hotel room two weeks after meeting her on the social networking website Facebook last year.

Following the attack he bombarded her with texts and phone calls for several days, eventually persuading her to leave the sanctuary of her flat.

As she walked down a street in Golders Green, north London, Sylvestre threw a cup of sulphuric acid directly in her face as Lynch spoke to her on the phone.

The court heard Lynch became obsessed by the woman after seeing her on television.

Lynch was prone to violent mood swings, with the judge describing him as a "complete Jekyll and Hyde" character.

Browne said: "Your conclusion was that, if you could not have the victim, you would destroy her, wreck her life and end her blossoming career."